Apparatus for measuring and indicating electricity-supply.



PATENTED MAR. 3, 1903.

0. H. MERZ. APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND INDIGATING ELECTRICITY SUPPLY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H0 MODEL.

PATENTBD MAR. 3, 1903.

0. H. MERZ. APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND INDIGATING ELECTRICITY SUPPLY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

In whim Witnesses.

CHARLES HESTERMAN MERZ, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND INDICATING ELECTRlClTY-SUPPLY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,030, dated March 3,1903.

Application filed September 25, 1902. Serial No, 124,877. (No ma To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES HESTERMAN MERZ, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at Westminster, in the county ofLondon, England, have invented Apparatus for Measuring and Indicating anElectricity-Supply, of which the following is a specification.

As is well known, in charging for electricity the price per unit issometimes made dependent upon the proportion between the maximum and theaverage power demanded during the period charged for, and instrumentsused for recording such maxima have been made more or less sluggish inaction to meet cases in which-as, for example, in the case ofelectricity for motive power-the demand has been liable to considerablefluctuations and large currents have been taken only exceptionally andduring periods so short that in practice it has been deemed unnecessaryto record them. In order to overcome difficulties inherent to thesehereinbefore-described systems of charging or in thecurrentmaximum-demand-indicating apparatus used in connection with them,the price per unit of electricity supplied may be made dependent on themaximum amount that has been used in one of several shorter periods oftime comprised within a longer period of time viz., the period chargedfor. An apparatus according to this invention and by means of which sucha system of charging is provided for, but which nevertheless may, ifrequired, be used for other purposes, comprises combined measuring andindicating apparatus such as will integrate the amount of electricitythat shall have been used during each of the shorter periods and willindicate the largest of these several amounts. Thus it will beunderstood that the apparatus is such that, if, for example, it beconstructed or set for indicating the maximum quantity of electricitysupplied during any one of a number of periods of one hour then in useit will indieate that quantity that will have passed through theapparatus in that hour of its working during which the maximum quantitywill have passed through. An apparatus for this purpose comprises anintegrating electricity-meter so arranged in relation to recording-gearas to drive the same in one direction for actuating an indicator, andthe said recording-gear is so constructed that the portion thereof whichactuates the indicator can be set back, and suitable means are arrangedin connection with such portion whereby the setting back is effected atpredetermined regular intervals of time without thereby altering theposition for the time being of the indicator. Thus it will be understoodthat the indicator is only moved forward when that portion of the gearwhich actuates it travels during any one of the shorter periods of timefarther than it has done in anyprevious like period. In some cases whenthe integrating measuring apparatus is clockdriven the driving-clock ofthe meter may also be caused to perform the setting back of the gear foractuating the indicator. The integrating mechanism which is used toactuate the demand-indicator may serve also to indicate on a separatedial the total consumption of electricity in British Board of Trade orother units in the usual manner.

In the accompanying illustrative drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are diagramsillustrating two arrangements of apparatus according to this inventionfor measuring and indicating an electricity-supply.

Referring to Fig. 1, A is the spindle of a recording-meter B, revolvingata speed which varies with and is proportional to the amount of energyor current passingthrough the meter. This spindle drives by suitablemeans, such as a worm O and a train of gearing D, a frictional drivingmeans which forms afriction-clutch and comprises two rotary parts E andF, that are mounted on the shaft and of which E,Which may be one of thewheels of the gearing D, carries springs G, which bear on the peripheryof and drive the part F. The driven part F of the clutch carries a wheelH and a projection I, which latter pushes an indicator K around with it.This indicator is so mounted that it will remain at rest in any positioninto which it is moved by the projection I. L is a sector that is ingear with the wheel H, so that it can be turned thereby in onedirection. M is a lever pivoted at N and whereby the sector L, wheel II,and rotary part F of the clutch can be turned in .tion I.

the opposite direction. The arrangement is such that assuming the clutchand indicator to be moving about their common axis in the direction ofthe arrow 1 then the sector L is being moved in the direction of thearrow 2; but at the end of each predetermined period of time a clock,which may be part of the meter or not, will by some suitable devicecause the sectorL to be moved up again, and so return to its startingposition that portion F of the clutch which carries the projec- This maybe effected in various ways. It is preferred to use an electricarrangement in which the clock B may actuate a device which closes anelectric circuit, so as to energize a coil 0 and attract an ironarmature or core P, attached to the lever M of the sector L. For thispurpose, for example, the clock 13 may drive through gearing Q a drum R,having insulated but connected contacts S and T thereon, which aretouched by brushes U and V at regular intervals as the drum revolves,and thereby complete an electric circuit through the said coil 0, orwhere an electric clock is used, as is assumed in the arrangementillustrated, it may be organized to close its own circuit at regularintervals of time and also that of the coil 0, which then forms a partof the same circuit, or mechanical means may be employed for returningthe sector L to its raised position. For example, the clock 13 may windup a spring or weight and release the same at the end of .each requiredinterval of time, the spring or weight when released acting to cause thesector L to return to its starting position, or the clock may release aspring or weight already wound up, as in the striking mechanism ofaclock. Fig. 2 shows an arrangement of this kind,whereinWisawheelwhichby means of a spring or weight X is caused to make one revolution everytime it is released by the timekeeping part of the clock. The wheel W isconnected by a rod Y to a lever Z, that is pivoted at N to the lever M,which is provided with a lateral pin or projection I. The arrangement issuch that once during each revolution of the wheel W the lever-arm Zwill be moved up and down by means of the rod Y, the saidarm on thedownstroke coming in contact with the projection I, and therebyreturning the sector L to its starting position. In each case althoughthe sector L in returning to its starting position moves the projectionI also back to its starting position the indicator K remains at theextreme reading which it has reached. As the part F of thefriction-clutch slips on the part E thereof, it will be seen that thereturn action is not transmitted through the gearingD to the spindle A.

Owing to the principle upon which combined apparatus according to thisinvention operates, coupled with the fact that the production of metersfor electric energy which are accurate for large as well as small powersand of accurate clocks presents no difliculty, it results that compoundapparatus such as described may be made to aiford practically'accurateindications throughout a wide range.

What I claim is' 1. Combined electric measuring and indicating apparatuscapable of integrating the amounts of electricity that shall have passedthrough the apparatus during a number of equal intervals of time and ofindicating the greatest of these amounts,said apparatus comprising anintegrating-meter, a body adapted to be actuated during each interval oftime to an extent dependent upon the total quantity of electricity thatshall have passed through said apparatus during the interval, anindicatoradapted to be moved in one direction'by said body and to remainin the position into which it-is moved, and means for returning saidbody to its original position at the end of each interval of time.

2. Apparatus for measuring and indicating an electricity-supply,comprising an integrating electricity-meter, and an indicating devicedriven from said meter and adapted to indicate the greatest amount ofcurrent integrated by said meter during any one of a number of intervalsof time.

3. Apparatus for measuring and indicating an electricity-supply,comprising an electricity-meter, a body arranged to be actuated fromsaid meter to an extent dependent upon the quantity of electricitypassing through the meter, an indicator adapted to be moved in onedirection by said body and to remain in the position in which it isleft, and means for restoring said body to its starting position atregular intervals of time.

4. Apparatus for measuring and indicating an electricity-s upply,comprising an integrating electricity meter, gearing cooperating withsaid meter, an actuating device arranged to be moved in one direction bysaid gearing, an indicator arranged to be moved in one direction by saidactuating device and to remain in the position in which it is left, andmeans for setting back said actuating device at regular intervals oftime.

5. Apparatus for measuring and indicating an electricity-supply,comprising an electricity-meter adapted to integrate the amounts ofelectricity that shall have passed through the apparatus during a numberof equal intervals of time, a movable body adapted to be actuated duringeach interval of time to an extent dependent upon the total quantity ofelectricity that shall have passed through said apparatus during theinterval, an indicator adapted to be moved in one direction by saidbody, and electromagnetic means adapted to be brought into action atregular intervals of time and to return said movable body to itsstarting position.

6. Apparatus for measuring and indicating an electricity-supply,comprising an electricity-meter adapted to integrate the amounts ofelectricity that shall have passed through the apparatus during a numberof equal intervals of time, a friction-clutch, gearing connected to onepart of said clutch and to said meter, an indicator adapted to be movedin one direction by the second part of said clutch, and means adapt-edto set back the second part of said clutch at regular intervals of time.

7. Apparatus for measuring and indicating an electricity-supply,comprising an electricity-meter adapted to integrate the amounts ofelectricity that shall have passed through the apparatus during a numberof equalintervals of time, a friction-clutch, gearing connected to onepart of said clutch and to said meter, an indicator adapted to be movedin one direction by the second part of said clutch, electromagneticmeans adapted when brought into action to set back the second part ofsuch clutch, and means for completing the circuit of saidelectromagnetic means at regular intervals.

8. Apparatus for measuring and indicating an electricity-supply,comprising an electricity-meter, a rotary friction-clutch having onepart geared to said meter and a second part provided with a drivingpin,an indicator-arm mounted to rotate about the same axis as said clutchand arranged to be turned in one direction by said driving-pin, apivoted toothed segment geared to the said second part of the clutch,and means for returning said segment and second part of said clutch totheir original positions at regular intervals of time, substantially asdescribed for the purpose specified.

9. Apparatus for measuring and indicating an electricity-supply,comprising an electricity-meter, a rotary friction-clutch having onepart geared to said meter and a second part provided with a driving-pin,an indicator-arm mounted to rotate about the same axis as said clutchand arranged to be turned in one direction by said driving-pin, apivoted toothed segment geared to the said second part of the clutch,and electromagnetic means adapted to be brought into action at regularintervals of time to return said segment and second part of said clutchwith driving-pin to their starting positions, substantially asdescribed.

10. Apparatus for measuring and indicat ing an electricity-supply,comprising an electricity-meter, a rotary friction-clutch having onepart geared to said meter and a second part provided with adriving-pin,an indicatorarm mounted to rotate about the same axis assaid clutch and arranged to be turned in one direction by saiddriving-pin, a pivoted toothed segment geared to the said second part ofthe clutch, a lever connected to said segment, an electromagnetic devicecomprising a coil and a movable core, said core being connected to saidlever, and a circuit-closing device driven from the meter mechanism andadapted to close an electric circuit through said coil at regularintervals of time, substantially as described.

Signed at Newcastleupon-Tyne, in the county of Northumberland, this 12thday of September, 1902.

CHARLES HESTERMAN MERZ.

WVitnesses:

GEORGE ROCHESTER, ELIAS YEOMAN.

